Certificate in Death Companioning for End of Life Professionals (CDC)

Program Overview

The Certificate in Death Companioning for End of Life Professionals (CDC) is comprised of two courses: BFS315 Death Companioning and BFS316 Applied Death Companioning. We have designed our certificate program for working professions who are looking to earn additional certification without sacrificing their current position or obligations. The field of end-of-life support is growing rapidly and includes death doulas, death midwives, end of life guides, hospice and palliative care professionals, funeral directors, clergy, community death conversation leaders and clinical professionals. Death Companioning is a service niche between death doulas and funeral directors and offers a way for end-of-life professionals, and those interested in furthering their study of end-of -life issues, a clearly defined area to work which takes into consideration the numerous legal, ethical and professional issues found within any young field. This certificate provides students with a clear framework for expanding their area of practice and to expand their knowledge of the growth within modern American deathcare. Students will also complete self-evaluations related to end-of-life issues and death anxiety, and learn skills which will allow them to more effectively navigate the care for an end-of-life practice.

Career Options
Potential career and industry options may include:

Funeral Service professions

Aspiring Doulas

End-of-life care practitioners

Family caregivers

Professionals who work in healthcare

Long-term care homes

Hospice and palliative care volunteers

Social service agencies

Community health organizations

Ministry and spiritual care providers

Counseling and integrative therapies

All who heed the call to embrace dying as part of the natural life cycle with more knowledge and compassion

The Certificate in Death Companioning for End of Life Professionals is not eligible for Financial Aid Mid-America College of Funeral Service is not regionally accredited and that may limit the transfer of credits to another institution. All transfer credits are dependent on the receiving institution.

The Certificate in Death Companioning is Indiana Post-Secondary Education approved.